What's New List Serve Post Display

ARB Newsclips for June 27, 2012.
This is a service of the California Air Resources Board’s Office
of Communications. You may need to sign in or register with
individual websites to view some of the following news articles.
AIR POLLUTION
ICAO Carbon-Cut Plan Will Mask Emissions Output: Engineer. A
metric proposed as part of the International Civil Aviation
Organization’s plan to curb greenhouse gases in the airline
industry will mask the actual emissions of aircraft, according to
an aeronautical engineer. The proposal uses a plane’s maximum
take-off weight, a certification level known as MTOW, to help
determine emissions and whether the aircraft is efficient enough
to fly…Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-06-27/icao-carbon-cut-plan-will-mask-emissions-output-engineer.html
Rio: pollution rife during UN enviro conference. Rio de
Janeiro—The throngs streaming into Rio for a sustainable
development conference may be dreaming of white-sand beaches and
clear, blue waters, but what they are first likely to notice as
they leave the airport is not the salty tang of ocean in the
breeze, but the stench of raw sewage. That's because the airport
sits by a bay that absorbs about 320 million gallons (1.2 billion
liters) of raw waste water a day: 480 Olympic swimming pools
worth of filth. Posted.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5imbLSiWprvGrn9C02RLDAC09_LmA?docId=eeb2b7d943d04252b8c35bace8a9822d
Associated Press:
http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_20949583/rio-pollution-rife-during-un-enviro-conference
http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_20949583/rio-pollution-rife-during-un-enviro-conference?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com
http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_20949583/rio-pollution-rife-during-un-enviro-conference?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com
Lodi bakery faces fine over air pollution accusation. A Lodi
bakery has agreed to pay $1.3 million in fines and new equipment
after an investigation discovered that the business was releasing
harmful chemical vapors into the air. According to a press
release from the Environmental Protection Agency, Ralcorp's
Cottage Bakery, located on South Stockton Street, has been
ordered to pay a penalty of $625,000 after a nearly three-year
investigation revealed the business failed to apply for air
pollution permits to install and operate the facility's ovens and
other air pollution controls that minimize the release of
volatile organic compounds, including ethanol. Posted.
http://www.lodinews.com/news/article_d79aebf6-535b-564c-9924-fb61ad05058d.html?mode=print
CLIMATE CHANGE
Exxon's CEO: Climate, energy fears overblown. ExxonMobil CEO Rex
Tillerson says that fears about climate change, drilling, and
energy dependence are overblown. In a speech Wednesday, Tillerson
acknowledges that burning of fossil fuels is warming the planet,
but says society will be able to adapt. The risks of oil and gas
drilling are well understood and can be mitigated, he says. And
he says dependence on other nations for oil is not a concern as
long as access to supply is certain. Posted.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_EXXON_CLIMATE_CHANGE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-06-27/exxon-s-rex-tillerson-says-global-warming-manageable-.html
http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Exxon-s-CEO-Climate-energy-fears-overblown-3667064.php
Climate change would lead to increased fire activity, study
shows. Climate change is likely to alter fire patterns around the
world, including a potential increase in the number of fires for
much of California in the next 30 years, according to a new study
led by UC Berkeley researchers. The study, published in
Ecosphere, modeled projected climate changes and how those
changes would affect fire activity. The Northern Hemisphere would
see the largest increases in the frequency of wildfires, with
some parts of the globe potentially seeing decreases, said Max A.
Moritz, the study's lead author. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/06/26/v-print/4592560/climate-change-would-lead-to-increased.html
Legislators could delay state's emissions trading linkage with
Quebec. A bill in the California Legislature set to be voted on
today would prevent the state from linking greenhouse gas trading
programs to other governments without the governor's approval, a
hitch that would potentially delay the state's plan to link its
market with Quebec's. As currently written, one of the bills
accompanying the Legislature's version of the state budget would
require the state Air Resources Board to notify the governor if
it intends to link market-based programs with another state,
province or country. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2012/06/27/7 BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY
Few legal options for losers in EPA rule challenge. After a
federal appeals court upheld Obama administration greenhouse gas
regulations yesterday, attention turned to what remaining legal
options are left available to the challengers. The choice is
straightforward: Ask the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District
of Columbia Circuit to rehear the case or immediately seek
Supreme Court review. A three-judge panel of the appeals court
yesterday denied or dismissed challenges to four rules that are
key to the administration's effort to regulate greenhouse gas
emissions (Greenwire, June 26). Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2012/06/27/1 BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY
DIESEL EMISSIONS
Rep. Issa Challenges EPA on Heavy Truck Fuel Economy Standard.
The House Oversight Committee is claiming that the California Air
Resources Board was too influential in the drafting of federal
truck fuel efficiency standards. Committee Chairman Darrell
Issa, R-Calif., said in a letter to the Environmental Protection
Agency that CARB appears to have been "heavily invested and
highly involved" in development of the standards for heavy-duty
trucks. "It is not clear to the committee, however, why CARB
exercised such outsized influence in this process…Posted.
http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/news-detail.asp?news_id=77343&news_category_id=3
Half of Inhaled Soot Particles from Diesel Exhaust, Fires Gets
Stuck in the Lungs. The exhaust from diesel-fueled vehicles,
wood fires and coal-driven power stations contains small
particles of soot that flow out into the atmosphere. The soot is
a scourge for the climate but also for human health. Now for the
first time, researchers have studied in detail how diesel soot
gets stuck in the lungs. The results show that more than half of
all inhaled soot particles remain in the body. The figure is
higher than for most other types of particles. Posted.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/06/120627092016.htm
FUELS
COLUMN-Biofuels caught in price squeeze: Gerard Wynn. Rising crop
costs are squeezing biofuel margins and may see production fall
or stagnate in the United States for the first time since 1996,
adding to challenges in Brazil and Europe. A long-run correlation
between U.S. corn and crude oil broke down this month, stemming
from new fears for the world economy coupled with harsh
conditions in key corn growing areas. The changing dynamic
illustrates challenges for the sector. U.S. corn ethanol
production margins are driven by oil markets and costs driven by
corn markets: Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/27/column-wynn-biofuel-costs-idUSL6E8HQ76S20120627
GREEN ENERGY
Private equity wary of German green energy shift. Any German
politicians hoping private equity investors will cough up some of
the billions needed to finance the shift to green energy should
probably think again, if comments at an industry conference on
Wednesday are anything to go by. Speakers at the conference said
renewable energy projects, vital if Germany is to achieve its
goal of a sustainable shift away from nuclear power, were too
bound by red tape to be an attractive destination for the huge
sums which private equity firms allocate. Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/27/germany-privateequity-green-idUSL6E8HRDR120120627
Rural farm funds announced. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom
Vilsack reports that USDA has selected 450 projects totalling
$7.4 million in Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) grant
funding nationwide, including 13 projects in California, that are
focused on helping agricultural producers and rural small
businesses reduce energy consumption and costs and use renewable
energy technologies in their operation. In California, projects
total $260,000. Posted.
http://www.thebusinessjournal.com/news/agriculture/2346-rural-farm-funds-announced
MISCELLANEOUS
Portland airport terminal gets green kudos. Maine's Portland
International Jetport has become the nation's second commercial
airport to receive LEED gold certification. LEED stands for
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, and its gold
certification demonstrates that the airport was built to
environmentally friendly, energy-efficient standards. Airport
Director Paul Bradbury says the new terminal will save $150,000 a
year in fuel costs thanks to installation of the state's largest
geothermal system. The system features 120 wells, each 500 feet
deep. Posted.
http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/06/27/2889438/portland-airport-terminal-gets.html#storylink=misearch
OPINIONS
Natural-Gas Cars Can Drive Us Toward a Better Economy. Armenia is
not generally known as a world leader, but it holds at least one
record: Seventy-five percent of its cars and trucks run on
natural gas. In the U.S., in contrast, the share is well under
0.1 percent -- even though natural-gas prices have plummeted here
over the past few years. Given the problems associated with U.S.
dependence on oil, more use of natural gas for transportation
could carry big benefits. One of the most important of these
would be macroeconomic. Switching to natural-gas vehicles would
reduce our vulnerability to oil-price shocks…Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-06-26/natural-gas-cars-can-drive-us-toward-a-better-economy.html
Dan Morain: Turn cap and trade rate bomb into AB 32 dividends.
Mike Florio, a lifelong consumer advocate turned California
Public Utilities commissioner, hasn't often found himself aligned
with the California Chamber of Commerce, the Howard Jarvis
Taxpayers Association and major power companies. But in a very
public setting not long ago, he warned about the issue that has
exercised business advocates: the bill that is coming due as the
state goes about reducing greenhouse gases and combating climate
change. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/06/27/v-print/4591278/turn-cap-and-trade-rate-bomb-into.html
Joanne S. Marchetta: Tahoe needs to allow some development to
make environmental gains. Lake Tahoe holds a different meaning
for each of us. For many Bay Area residents, it was your
childhood summer or kayaking trip, the lakeside wedding, the
cabin tucked away in whispering pines. There is also a lot of
commerce at Lake Tahoe -- not to mention about 40,000 private
properties surrounding the lake. Lake Tahoe is also on the world
stage for cutting-edge science, invasive species prevention and
best practices for land-use planning. Posted.
http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_20943006/joanne-s-marchetta-tahoe-needs-allow-some-development
Latinos Nationwide Call for New Power Plant Rules to Curb Climate
Change. This summer is already shaping up to be a scorcher. The
northeast has gone from sweaters to sweltering in under a week,
persistent droughts have brought record setting wildfires in New
Mexico, and just weeks into hurricane season, we're already
awaiting the fourth named storm in the Atlantic. For many Latinos
in these seriously impacted parts of the country and for many who
work outside in the heat or live in areas that don't meet clean
air rules and are struggling under healthcare costs, the risks of
climate change are real. Posted.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/adrianna-quintero/record-number-of-latinos-_b_1621113.html?utm_hp_ref=green
Aluminum Giant Alcoa Finds New Markets In Green Tech Economy. I
just want to say one word to you. Aluminum. It may not be the
plastics of the 21st century, but aluminum demand is growing
along with the need for lighter, more fuel efficient cars,
lightweight laptops and tablets like the iPad I’m writing this
post on as well as futuristic products such as self-cleaning,
smog-eating building panels. Posted.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/toddwoody/2012/06/26/aluminum-giant-alcoa-finds-new-markets-in-green-tech-economy/
Appeals court to EPA: You just keep on regulating greenhouse gas.
This morning, a federal appeals court in Washington, D.C.,
upheld the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA)
first-of-its-kind greenhouse gas regulations, dismissing out of
hand a variety of challenges from industry and states. The
findings uphold the agency’s rules defining limits to the
emission of greenhouse gas pollution under the Clean Air Act.
Specifically, the court ruled: Yes, the agency acted properly in
determining that CO2 is a danger to public health; …Posted.
http://grist.org/news/appeals-court-to-epa-you-just-keep-on-regulating-greenhouse-gas/
BLOGS
Where Are Hybrids, Electric Cars Selling Fastest? Hawaii.
Hawaii, the land of sun, sea, sand and surfing. Green transport,
too, according to the latest sales figures emerging from the
islands. In fact, hybrids and electric cars are selling so well
in the state they almost matched 2011's figures in the first five
months of this year. We've already speculated that islands could
be the most likely homes for electric cars, with
higher-than-average gas prices and smaller road networks. In the
case of Hawaii, there's plenty of potential for green energy from
solar, hydro or geothermal power too. Posted.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1077288_where-are-hybrids-electric-cars-selling-fastest-hawaii